The "21 day fix" is everywhere right now! Blowing up your Facebook feed with before and after pictures, your Pinterest home page with those crazy colored containers and tons of "fix approved" recipes and boards - its even a super popular hashtag on instagram. sooo..WHAT IS IT? Is it another way out there type of fad diet? Why is it so popular? What is with the containers? and If I try it will I be starving like every diet out there? I think it's time i BREAK IT DOWN for you so you can see what this system is all about!

As a nurse I especially hear about all types of "diets" my patients have been on or are currently trying - and it seriously breaks my heart! ALSO - diets and food are the most popular break room chatter among staff too. I can definitely say as health care workers we often are the MOST guilty for NOT taking care of ourselves! I've never been a fan of hearing about diets. Personally I live by the 80/20 rule - roughly 80% of the good stuff (veggies, lean proteins, high quality carbs) and 20% treats (don't you dare try to take the chocolate from me) - When learning about how to make proper healthy lifestyle changes most people need structure and rules as they are learning more about nutrition. Too often people get caught up in labeling all foods as either "bad" or "good" and think they can't have certain things at all - and at this day and age when labels confuse the heck out of us...I can't say I blame people for getting confused. That is where the 21 day portion fix nutrition program comes in to save the day and make it SIMPLE.

Portion control is a big issue in our society as our portions are so skewed. You may be eating all the "right" thing, but most likely you are eating way too much! That is where the colored containers come in! They are an awesome way to TEACH you how much is actually in ONE serving.

What you can fit of a food into the appropriate container = one serving. Of course SOME foods don't fit! Ex: Asparagus - so the food guide lists 1 serving/1 green as 10 stalks. Got it? What do the food lists look like? I think you would be surprised! It's all REAL foods - since the focus of the fix is staying away from processed junk.

So how do you know how much to eat in a day? In your nutrition guide book there is a easy calculation to do - and of course it depends on YOUR goals! A lot of the Beachbody programs such as Hammer and Chisel, 22 Minute Hard Corps, 21 Day Fix Extreme and CIZE use this portion fix system as the nutrition aspect of the workout program. You don't NEED to do just do this style of eating for weight loss, it can also be used to calculate for maintenance or gains. By doing the easy calculation in the guide book it will easily spell out how many of each container you "get" in a day. No counting calories, just containers. EASY!
I will show you how much you will be encouraged to eat EVEN in the lowest bracket!

So how do you keep track? There are many easy systems to use thanks to technology! Just need to find the one that is easiest for you. There are plenty of phone apps even that make it super easy to track your daily containers! Another system is to use a white board or planner and plan out your meals using the appropriate color coded markers or pens.

Here is an example of a "fix approved" meal:

Baked salmon with roasted green beans and broccoli & roasted sweet potatoes on the side! Ketchup isn't EXACTLY a perfect eat (due to added sugar - read labels carefully), but moderation! OR you could substitute a FREE food from one of the lists! Like hot sauce or a mustard - or make one of the dressings from the recipe book the guide comes with. Hummus would be another great option! Even after this meal I would STILL have:
3 reds
1 yellow
2 greens
1 orange
1 teaspoon (1 used to drizzle on the potatoes)
2 purples

What do I LOVE about this program? Well most of all I love that it isn't restricting. You can STILL have chocolate, a cocktail - just in moderation! This is a maintainable way of living..not a crash diet that will cause you to gain everything back once the 21 days is over. It can be repeated over and over for someone with the goal of a bigger amount of weight loss. And the fix is just so "flexible" - I think the MAIN THING I try to focus on with new clients is to just keep it simple! You don't NEED a fancy recipe - Just choose foods from the lists and pair them together!

As you can see - the results from this has been amazing to see such transformations. These are TWO of the gals on my team sharing their amazing results!

So often its so easy to have all the tools and resources, but if you don't USE them they simply don't work! That is where CHALLENGE GROUPS come in! I work as a mentor and coach for helping people get started on their mission to better health! Whether it be post-baby new mamas, weight loss, muscle gains or just people striving for more CONFIDENCE and EMPOWERMENT...whatever your goals are it's much easier to get there when you have someone there to help you get started!

Ready to get started on YOUR health journey! Email me at fitwithheart@gmail.com and let's get started!